Great Escape Publishing's Photography Expedition in Ecuador: Your Unique Perspective

Who sees the world like you do?… Who interacts with the world like you do?… Who can take the photos that you take?
Christina here, writing to you on Day One of our Stock Photography Expedition in Cotacachi, Ecuador. Earlier today, workshop instructor and professional photographer Shelly Perry kicked off our first photography lesson by asking the group these questions above.
The answer to all of them is the same… it’s you. And only you.
As Shelly told us today, no one can take photos from your perspective because no one has the same perspective that you do.
There are lots of people taking lots of pictures, but only you can take pictures from your perspective. And if you can learn to harness that, you can use it to your advantage as a photographer.
Over the past couple of days here in Cotacachi, we’ve been busy enjoying the local Ecuadorian culture, learning Spanish, visiting artisan craft villages, exploring the colorful streets and markets, enjoying fresh local cooking, and taking photos at every turn.
With 16 photographers taking photos of the same experiences — sometimes standing no more than a foot apart — you’d think all of our photos would look the same.
But that’s not the case at all…
In fact, during our daily photo reviews, it’s fun to see just how different they are.
Here, for example, are three photos taken of the same peacock by three different attendees…

Michael Ritter

Paul Parkey

Christina Merchant
It’s the same peacock in all three shots, yet the resulting photos all have a completely different feel to them.  And they could each be used for different markets.
Using your unique perspective can help you sell photos. In stock photography in particular, your unique perspective can make you stand out from the competition. If you can find a unique and creative angle on the same subject that’s been photographed time and time again, you’ll have an advantage.
For example… the Eiffel Tower is one of the most photographed landmarks in the world. But Shelly managed to capture a unique perspective of it in this image, which she’s sold more than 200 times on iStock.com:

We’re learning so much here and improving by the day. Stay tuned for more attendee photos and more travel stock photography tips…
[Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can turn your pictures into cash in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.  Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Selling Photos for Cash: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]